Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees

(For my regular readers -I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Party this week – which is kind of like a huge Open House for other bloggers to come and look around. Sure wish I had more time to spiff the place up a bit – but you know the wild few weeks we’ve had around here! So – I’ll guess they’ll have to take me the way I am – but don’t worry Mom – I did get a towel thrown over the unmentionables drying in the bathroom!)

Hey thanks for stopping by!

We’re pretty informal around here – so slip your shoes off and come on in.

You might notice our turn of the century farmhouse – we moved in it ten years ago, gutted it and put it back together. We’ve only been moved in a year and half – so we’re still settling in. (Yes -  none of the trim is up yet – and there’s still no pictures on the wall – oh well!!)

You may also notice a lot of books sitting  around – both my hubby and I are official bibliophiles – Half-Price Books is a dangerous place for us!

Speaking of my husband – let me introduce you to my sweetheart – Jan.

We met and started dating when I had just finished college.

A funny story – when we started dating, I would be talking to my mom on the phone telling her all about the things I was doing with Jan – and she just assumed it was a girl.

When one of my sisters told her the truth – that he was a very eligible good-looking single guy at church – my folks dropped everything and came down the next weekend to meet him! He passed inspection – still does!

We will celebrate 20 years of marriage in August. I am one blessed woman.

We have five kids – three are teenagers – two are almost teens. Yeah – life is crazy around here at times – and the food we go through!! Wow!

I do like to share recipes  – but they’re nothing fancy – just good home-cooking that is tried and true. We have lots of company – so I’m often “feeding the multitudes”. (Last week we hosted nine extra cousins, an aunt and a grandpa and grandma for seven days – next week my entire family will be here for a long weekend to celebrate my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary.)

I use very large pots, have a well-stocked pantry and three freezers. Food is big here.

You might have noticed the view by now – we live in the beautiful rolling hills of southern Iowa. Our nearest neighbors are Amish – so a buggy going by on the gravel road or even pulling into the driveway is pretty common.

We like to sit in the sun room and do our home schooling every day – with windows on three sides we can watch our world while doing Chemistry and diagramming sentences.

If you hang around long enough I hope you will notice that my faith is very important to me. My relationship with Jesus is the center of my life and I sometimes share what He’s taught me.

I love thrift stores, reading fiction, and old quilts.

I love chocolate so much that I started a separate chocolate blog.

I don’t like broken appliances, being sick and cooked spinach.

Besides my kids, my faith, and what I’m cooking, I also write about our adventures, funny happenings, and our life in rural America – “where we live in the comfort of our blue jeans and cotton tees”.

Thanks for stopping by – stay as long as you wish! The water is warm in the tea kettle and my daughter’s keep the cookie jar full.

If you’ve got time – hike the back trails we have on the property, do a little fishing, or just sit and enjoy the quiet.

Before you go – don’t forget to grab a dozen eggs from the fridge to take home with you – those chickens are really laying right now!

Come back soon!

Melinda